Israel NOWlej

Iranian Jews יהודי איראן

People and groups

One of the oldest Jewish communities, dating back to the Persia of Cyrus the Great. Before the 1979 revolution about 80,000 Jews lived in Iran. After the execution of the community leader Habib Elghanian that year, most left, chiefly for Israel and the United States. Fewer than 10,000 remain.

Sources

  • Written for this site, revised and checked from the topic pages of the earlier Israel NOWlej site (2025).